France Set To Dump 3 Strikes Anti-Piracy Law But Automated Fines Will Live On

Mired in controversy since its inception but held up as an example by entertainment companies looking to spread the model worldwide, France’s Hadopi anti-piracy law now looks set to be scrapped. A just-published government-commissioned report recommends that the graduated response system, which promised fines and disconnections for errant file-sharers, should be shelved and replaced with 60 euro per time automated fines.

The report said that the anti-piracy regime had not been effective. Although a reduction in illicit file-sharing on P2P networks such as BitTorrent had been achieved, there had also been an increase in use of other services, including streaming, over which Hadopi has no control. Moreover, legal offerings haven’t benefited as promised.

But contrary to hopes that the so-called ‘graduated response’ would die along with Hadopi, the report suggests that the agency’s tasks, including that of fighting Internet piracy on the ground, should be handed over to the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), the agency which regulates electronic media in France.